MONROE - There's something about River Valley that brings out the best in the Monroe softball team when they lace up their cleats.
With the No. 2-ranked Blackhawks and No. 3-ranked Cheesemakers locked in a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning, Monroe sophomore Kari Jordan delivered a two-out two-run single and junior Kirsten Vetterli lined a two-run double to right to give the Cheesemakers a comeback 9-5 win in a WIAA Division 2 regional championship game Thursday, May 23 at Twining Park.
Monroe (25-2) continued to have River Valley's number, rallying from a 4-0 deficit to win the regional for the seventh straight year and knocking off the Blackhawks for the fourth time in the last five years, including three times for the regional title. Monroe will face Portage in a sectional semifinal Tuesday, May 28.
"It's awesome how we can keep the tradition going for (Dale) Buvid," said Jordan, who went 2-for-3 with four RBIs. "It's awesome we didn't crumble and continued to be confident. It's really cool that me and Kirsten could really help the team in a tight spot. We were able to pull through."
Coach Buvid, who is in his 30th season and was elected to the Wisconsin Softball Coaches Hall of Fame this season, was encouraged by the resiliency his team displayed.
"There are not too many times we have been down 4-0," Buvid said. "To overcome that, I'm just really proud of our toughness, resiliency and competitiveness. Hats off to Kari and Kirsten. Two and a half weeks ago (Jordan) wasn't even playing, coming back from an ACL injury. Thank God the family decided she could come back in the lineup and play. We needed her."
There were several times the Cheesemakers could have crumbled early on. The Blackhawks (23-1) jumped on Monroe senior pitcher Becca Armstrong for four runs in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead. River Valley's Taylor Genthe singled and Laura Schmidt reached on an error. River Valley junior Emma Voss then followed with an RBI single. River Valley senior Sydney Carlson, who went 3-for-4, ripped an RBI single to left to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead. River Valley junior Carly Kraemer then lined a two-run double to left to give the Blackhawks a 4-0 lead. Armstrong pitched a complete game and gave up four runs on 11 hits. She struck out 11 and didn't issue a walk.
"You think you have a pitcher that dominates and will probably only give up two runs," Buvid said. "River Valley had it all going for them. Early on, (Armstrong) left some pitches up. She couldn't throw her rise ball for strikes early on. She probably should have thrown more changeups to keep them off-balance. She wasn't really explosive and didn't have the snap on her fastball."
Jordan wasn't the only player for the Cheesemakers who has had to overcome injury. Monroe junior Ellie Grossen was back in the lineup two days after getting 32 stitches in her leg to close up a wound she got after being cleated stealing second against Platteville Tuesday. On Thursday, Grossen went 1-for-3 despite dealing with pain during the game.
"I didn't think Buvid was going to let me play," Grossen said. "He brought me back in and the team backed me up. I played in a little pain."
The Cheesemakers chipped away at the deficit. Monroe's Natalie Dillon stole second base in the second inning, and senior Breawn Ambrose scored on the throw. The Cheesemakers were also able to take advantage of some wildness by River Valley freshman pitcher Kylie Hoffman. Hoffman walked Monroe junior Chandra McGuire and junior Taylor O'Leksy. Jordan then delivered a two-run double to center to cut the Blackhawks' lead to 4-3. Vetterli, who went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, blooped a game-tying RBI single to right to tie the game at 4.
Vetterli was excited to come through with a clutch hit in the four-run sixth as the Cheesemakers scored all of their runs in the inning after two outs.
"It shows that we have a lot of mental toughness," Vetterli said of coming back from the deficit. "We were all very nervous. As soon as we started hitting, we knew it would get better. We had a positive outlook."
Hoffman pitched a complete game for the Blackhawks and gave up nine runs (six earned) on seven hits. Three of the batters she walked came around to score.
"We knew (Hoffman) would have some walks and wild pitches," Buvid said. "We didn't bank on six. She's just a freshman. She will be really tough."
With the No. 2-ranked Blackhawks and No. 3-ranked Cheesemakers locked in a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning, Monroe sophomore Kari Jordan delivered a two-out two-run single and junior Kirsten Vetterli lined a two-run double to right to give the Cheesemakers a comeback 9-5 win in a WIAA Division 2 regional championship game Thursday, May 23 at Twining Park.
Monroe (25-2) continued to have River Valley's number, rallying from a 4-0 deficit to win the regional for the seventh straight year and knocking off the Blackhawks for the fourth time in the last five years, including three times for the regional title. Monroe will face Portage in a sectional semifinal Tuesday, May 28.
"It's awesome how we can keep the tradition going for (Dale) Buvid," said Jordan, who went 2-for-3 with four RBIs. "It's awesome we didn't crumble and continued to be confident. It's really cool that me and Kirsten could really help the team in a tight spot. We were able to pull through."
Coach Buvid, who is in his 30th season and was elected to the Wisconsin Softball Coaches Hall of Fame this season, was encouraged by the resiliency his team displayed.
"There are not too many times we have been down 4-0," Buvid said. "To overcome that, I'm just really proud of our toughness, resiliency and competitiveness. Hats off to Kari and Kirsten. Two and a half weeks ago (Jordan) wasn't even playing, coming back from an ACL injury. Thank God the family decided she could come back in the lineup and play. We needed her."
There were several times the Cheesemakers could have crumbled early on. The Blackhawks (23-1) jumped on Monroe senior pitcher Becca Armstrong for four runs in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead. River Valley's Taylor Genthe singled and Laura Schmidt reached on an error. River Valley junior Emma Voss then followed with an RBI single. River Valley senior Sydney Carlson, who went 3-for-4, ripped an RBI single to left to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead. River Valley junior Carly Kraemer then lined a two-run double to left to give the Blackhawks a 4-0 lead. Armstrong pitched a complete game and gave up four runs on 11 hits. She struck out 11 and didn't issue a walk.
"You think you have a pitcher that dominates and will probably only give up two runs," Buvid said. "River Valley had it all going for them. Early on, (Armstrong) left some pitches up. She couldn't throw her rise ball for strikes early on. She probably should have thrown more changeups to keep them off-balance. She wasn't really explosive and didn't have the snap on her fastball."
Jordan wasn't the only player for the Cheesemakers who has had to overcome injury. Monroe junior Ellie Grossen was back in the lineup two days after getting 32 stitches in her leg to close up a wound she got after being cleated stealing second against Platteville Tuesday. On Thursday, Grossen went 1-for-3 despite dealing with pain during the game.
"I didn't think Buvid was going to let me play," Grossen said. "He brought me back in and the team backed me up. I played in a little pain."
The Cheesemakers chipped away at the deficit. Monroe's Natalie Dillon stole second base in the second inning, and senior Breawn Ambrose scored on the throw. The Cheesemakers were also able to take advantage of some wildness by River Valley freshman pitcher Kylie Hoffman. Hoffman walked Monroe junior Chandra McGuire and junior Taylor O'Leksy. Jordan then delivered a two-run double to center to cut the Blackhawks' lead to 4-3. Vetterli, who went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, blooped a game-tying RBI single to right to tie the game at 4.
Vetterli was excited to come through with a clutch hit in the four-run sixth as the Cheesemakers scored all of their runs in the inning after two outs.
"It shows that we have a lot of mental toughness," Vetterli said of coming back from the deficit. "We were all very nervous. As soon as we started hitting, we knew it would get better. We had a positive outlook."
Hoffman pitched a complete game for the Blackhawks and gave up nine runs (six earned) on seven hits. Three of the batters she walked came around to score.
"We knew (Hoffman) would have some walks and wild pitches," Buvid said. "We didn't bank on six. She's just a freshman. She will be really tough."
